Past of Extinction
by dogone-senpai
Summary: A multiple part fan-made series. Ketsueki Kuraiya recalls his dark past in this Naruto fan fiction story.
1. Memory of a Lifetime

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Chapter One, Part One - Memory of a Lifetime.**

_I still remember that day... yes, as if it was just yesterday. I remember... death... my people, killed in front of me. It's time to give my memory a turn._

It was just like any normal day. I woke up, greeted my brothers and sisters, ate breakfast, bid my parents farewell, and left the Kuraiya clan palace. I had to meet up with my fellow ANBU Black Ops team members at the Hokage's mansion. As usual, I was the first one there. Later, my best friend Rotao showed up with the rest of my team.

"Wow. Things never change, huh?" Rotao said with a smile. I laughed. Soon after, Kakashi Hatake, the Hokage, dispatched us with a mission to eliminate an enemy of Konoha. The man's name was... Orochimaru. I immediately said, "Lord Sixth, Orochimaru helped out in the last war! Surely he can't be an enemy!" The Sixth sighed. "Orochimaru was kept close eye under Konoha surveillance. One of our ANBU Captains caught Orochimaru with multiple test subjects, ninja from Kirigakure. We know he's up to something. Eliminate him."

We had no choice but to fight him. Unfortunately, he escaped when we engaged him. That same day, Naruto was made the new Hokage. I knew he stopped the last war so I deeply respected him. But. My clan was suddenly cut off from the village for some reason. I remember the Kuraiya clan founder's great-great-grandson, Tachinara Kuraiya, leaving off to a meeting. I didn't know what was happening, but I paid no mind to it. I was a fool. Rumour had it that Tachihara Kuraiya provoked the Seventh Hokage and threatened his life as well as the village's safety. The following night, I woke up late to get a glass of water. Not even God himself could prepare me for what I saw that night.


	2. It Has Been Seen Before My Very Eyes

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Chapter One, Part Two - It Has Been Seen Before My Very Eyes.**

_I woke up to get a glass of water. I opened the door that led to the main complex in the Kuraiya clan palace. As soon as I did, warm blood splattered all over my face._

My eyes widened.

"M-mother...?"

In front of me was a man wearing an ANBU Black Ops mask. My mother fell, blood gushing out of her chest. Tears quickly stung my eyes as I fell back, completely dazed. My own mother was just killed in front of me.

I felt a wetness under my hands and feet. Red liquid was leaking from behind me. I slowly turned my head to see my brothers and sisters lying on the ground, also now motionless. I screamed at the top of my entire palace was full of dead bodies. The dead bodies of my family.

"No... No...! No!" I yelled. An ANBU member ran at me. Before I knew it, strange marks spread on my skin as my tears mixed with the blood of my people. My eyes glowed purple. Yes, it was Red the Deity, taking over my body. My parents gave me his unparalleled power when I was born. I slammed my fist against the ANBU's face, shattering his mask easily. He fell back, coughing blood out. Screaming at the top of my lungs, I jumped on him and began to slam my fist against his face. Blood splattering everywhere on me.

"DIE DIE DIE... DIE DIE _DIE_!" With one more punch, his entire head imploded. His brain squished, his eyeballs flattened. I slowly got off him, staring at his mutilated body. Blood soaked, I ran around the entire palace, mercilessly and brutally murdering all of the 106 ANBU members. After ripping a man's heart out of his chest, I began to cry faintly. Not only because my people were killed.. but because I knew what I had become. A monster. Wiping the tears away, I laughed maniacally. The raining outside intensified as I yelled, "NARUTO UZUMAKI! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

I slammed the doors of the entrance to the palace down. The rain mixed with the blood on my entire body. It didn't take long, but I found him. Naruto Uzumaki, the man I once respected.

"You're alive," He said quietly. I cringed with pain as my crying intensified. I was only a child, but not anymore. I learned that love will never be sustained.

"Lord Hokage," I said as I got on my knees, shaking. "WHY?! WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?!" I slammed my fists onto the ground with every word. He entered his Nine Tails Chakra Mode instantly. I looked up, the blood on my red hair leaking down. I smirked with absolute insanity.

"YOU BASTARD!" I got up, still shaking. I ran at him as fast as I could, my clan's blood clenched on my fist. This night, I was certain I'd kill Naruto Uzumaki.


	3. For My Clan

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Chapter One, Part Three - For My Clan.**

_The man responsible for the blood on my hands was right there, standing in front of me_.

I ran at Naruto, tears of frustration and hatred in my eyes. The blood on my fist hardened as I threw a punch at him. He quickly dodged my attack, but the force of my punch was so powerful it left a cut on his right cheek. He slightly cringed and jumped back.

"I totally see why you survived," he said as he made 20 shadow clones. I growled and ran for the real Naruto, punching and kicking shadow clones out of the way. I smirked as I shot blood through a shadow clone, which wrapped around the real Naruto behind it.

"DIE!" I yelled. The blood around him snapped. The body poofed away. I snarled, realising it was just another shadow clone. I felt someone's presence above me. I quickly jumped up, smashing my head on his chin. I then teleported above him, shooting blood downwards. I thought I got him until I felt something jab my chest.

"Rasengan!" he yelled, impaling me with a gigantic blue mass. I crashed onto the floor, my Konoha headband loosening and falling off my forehead. At that time I thought I was going to die, the last Kuraiya clan member ultimately falling before the Hokage. Fear clouded my mind as I scrambled up and ran away. Naruto quickly followed behind me, jabbing kunai in me. I kept moving until we reached the village's gate.

I breathed heavily, blood pouring out of my body. Wounds covering my body. Bags under my eyes. I just wanted to sleep, along with my clan in the Afterlife. I got on one knee and put my head down, still crying. Naruto was just above me, pointing a kunai at my head. I braced for death. Suddenly, Naruto dropped the kunai and kicked me back. I fell back, staring at him.

_Why didn't he kill me...?_

Naruto sighed and deactivated Nine Tails Chakra Mode. I looked down, frustrated.

"Kill me already," I softly said as the pouring of rain intensified.

"No, I won't," he replied. I widened my tired eyes.

_What?_

"KILL ME!" I said louder.

"I'm not wasting a fine shinobi. There's a reason why you alone survived your clan's downfall, Ketsueki." I stared at him wordless as he spoke. "Leave this village. If you return, I'll kill you then!" he said loudly. The raining slowly stopped. I still stared at him, horrified.

_He's letting me go?!_ The marks on my skin disappeared. I cringed and looked down, slowly standing up.

"Why?!" I looked up, tears streaming down my face. "WHY LET ME GO?! KILL ME!" I yelled. Instead of giving me a response, Naruto turned his back to me. How could he be so sure that I wasn't going to attack?!

"One day... I'll k-kill you for this...!" I said as he walked away. Not knowing myself anymore, I quickly left the village. After a few moments of running, I stumbled down. Slowly fading into unconsciousness, I looked up at the sky. It was still dark.

_Love really doesn't exist anymore..._ I passed out.


	4. A New Alliance

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Chapter One, Part Four - A New Alliance.**

_I opened my eyes slowly. I looked around, still dazed. I was leaning on a tree, my back against the hard bark. A man with a hooded Akatsuki cloak was staring at me. How long was I unconscious, and how long was he watching over me?_

I gasped and jumped up, now noticing those notorious red clouds on his cloak.

"You're a...!" I pulled out a kunai. "Stay away from me!" I yelled, already prepared to fight him. The man chuckled at me.

"There is no need for that, child," he said. His voice was a bit hoarse, and it wasn't any that sounded familiar to me. "I only wish to talk." I cringed and looked down, the tiredness in my body returning.

"I don't need to talk right n-"

"I can help you get your revenge on Naruto Uzumaki," he interrupted. I looked up, confused even more now.

_What did he just say?_

"I saw everything. You're a gifted child, one that needs to be trained properly. Will you accept my offer or not?" he asked. His eyes were of the notable Sharingan, which also confused me. My parents once told me that many years ago, all of the Uchiha were slaughtered by Itachi and Obito Uchiha. Both of them were also dead, and Itachi's brother Sasuke was the only Uchiha clan member left. So who in the world was this man?

"You can really help me? How?" I asked, hesitantly lowering my kunai.

"If you accept my help, you'll be my disciple. I will train you for many years. I won't let the Kuraiya talent be wasted so easily," he answered. "My name is Shin Uchiha... may I ask for yours?" I somehow managed to get to my feet.

"I'm Ketsueki," I replied weakly. Shin extended his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you. Now is the chance to grasp for more power, Ketsueki. For your clan, and for the destruction of Konoha, will you become my pupil?" he asked. I looked down again.

_The destruction of Konoha? I don't really want that... but.. the Hokage must pay somehow.. maybe this is the way... _I slowly raised my hand.

_Even if it isn't, I have to get stronger.. I'll avenge my people with the help of..._

I grabbed his hand firmly and looked up into the man's crimson Sharingan.

_Shin Uchiha!_

"I will," I said. Shin slightly smiled at me.

"I see revenge is the only thing on your mind," he said softly.

"Of course it is! My only purpose now is to be stronger to kill Naruto...!" Shin closed his eyes.

"So be it then," he said as he let go of my hand. "It'll take many years for you to fully confront and beat the Hokage. You better prepare for training. Day-in and day-out."

"As long as I get my revenge, I don't care what I have to do," I replied.

"Then you shall be the second member of the New Akatsuki," said Shin. I rose my eyebrow.

"I thought all of the Akatsuki members were killed," I said.

_I'm only a kid.. am I really strong enough to join the Akatsuki?_

"Most of them are. The ones still alive are nothing but useless traitors. I tracked down Nagato Uzumaki and Konan and asked them to join me, but they vehemently rejected my offer. No matter, I am rebuilding the organisation from the ground up. I won't allow failure to seep in. Come." He walked towards a large cave. I followed him silently. Once we entered the cave, I gasped lightly. Many clones of young boys with white hair and glaring Sharingan stared at me. One of them tilted his head and looked at me quizzically.

"Father, who is this person?" he asked.

"A new disciple of mine, don't harm him." Shin turned to me. "You shall stay here for now and heal your wounds. My son will keep watch over you until I return." I nodded. Shin left the cave.

_I can't believe what I got myself into..._ I laid on a large stone. _But it's too late to turn back now... I'll get my revenge no matter what... Naruto Uzumaki._


	5. On Behalf of the New Akatsuki

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Chapter Two, Part One - On Behalf of the New Akatsuki.**

_Seven long years have passed since the slaughter of my clan. I have been training with Shin Uchiha the entire time. I have become an excellent shinobi._

"This spar is over. Well done," said Shin Uchiha, gasping for air. I was standing above him, my Sharingan blazing in the light.

_It's a good thing I taught him Sharingan Imitation. He's reacting well to its power, _thought Shin.

"It seems that I have won, Lord Shin. I truly am on the path of strength," I said. Shin stood up.

"That you are, boy. I believe it is time for you to become a true member of the New Akatsuki..."

I smirked at him. "Of course I am. It took seven years, but I finally caught up with you. I'd be glad to kill in your name, Lord Shin," I said as my Imitated Sharingan deactivated.

_I'm still not strong enough to beat Naruto though._.. _I need to train some more. _Shin's son entered the large room we were in, an Akatsuki cloak in hand.

"Greetings, Mr. Ketsueki. Here's your proof of membership." He handed me the cloak and a yellow ring.

"Nighttime," I read on the inscription. I put on the cloak, the ring securely on my right ring finger. "Heh." I moved around a little, fond of my new garments.

"You are the second to join, as my son is the first. Your first mission is to travel to Kirigakure. One of my subordinates decided to turn against me and is now protected by Kiri's finest shinobi. Your objective is to eliminate this person. Understood?" asked Shin. I nodded.

"Yes. Do the protectors die as well?"

"Do as you please. Now go."

I sighed easily and left the cave. _A simple Kiri shinobi, eh? It doesn't seem much like fun._ _Well I guess, I should treat him like a training partner. _I chuckled to myself and ran the path to Kirigakure.

_Naruto Uzumaki...prepare yourself, because I am nearing my revenge. But first..._ A man wearing a Kiri headband stepped in front of me. Several Kiri ANBU were behind him.

_Looks like they were expecting me. I knew_ _a_ _damn sensory ninja was around here somewhere... Oh well. _I ran my hand through my red hair, the wind picking it up.

"Identify yourself, now!" an ANBU yelled at me. I smirked again.

"Having knowledge of anything is useless when you're dead," I shot back. My target stepped back.

"Dispose of him!"

The Kiri ANBU members ran at me. I sighed out loudly.

"Die then..."

I quickly cut myself with a small blade. Moving my thumb, the blood hardened and shot at the ANBU. I've grown bored already.

_Perish!_

The blood wrapped around the ANBU quickly. Before anyone could say anything, the blood snapped, breaking every bone in their body. As well as their chest, which in turn crushed their hearts. They all dropped one by one, dead.

"Now that that's out of the way, it's _your_ turn to die," I said, looking at the target. The shinobi quickly performed hand seals.

_Water ninjutsu, eh? Useless... _

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" The shinobi yelled. A large mass of water in the shape of a dragon formed in front of him and dashed at me. I yawned and a dome of blood surrounded me. The water dragon smashed into the dome. I wasn't phased in the slightest.

"What the hell?! It's gotta be some kekkei genkai of some sort... damn these clans!" the shinobi gasped out. The dome of blood slowly lowered.

"You dare mock the name of the Kuraiya clan...?" I questioned softly. The shinobi stepped back again.

"You heard me, you bastard! Your clan is useless without that technique!" he answered back. I noticed an emotion of fear within that insult. I smirked widely as marks appeared on my body.

_I suppose Red can dispose of this pest! _

I laughed insanely and ran at the trembling Kiri shinobi. "You seem awfully scared for someone who spat in the Kuraiya's face a second ago!" I yelled as I neared him. "Die, worthless piece of Kiri SHIT!"

I jabbed my hand deep in his chest. An enormous amount of blood entered his wound. I smiled angrily as the blood expanded in his chest, crushing his entire upper body. His chest literally burst open, blood spraying everywhere. He fell to the ground, already dead. The marks on my skin receded and I laughed silently, content with my growing power. I turned my back to the corpse, walking away.

"Mission complete."


	6. Truth Unveiled

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Chapter Two, Part Two - Truth Unveiled.**

_When I returned back to the hideout, Shin was already standing besides a wall. He was expecting me?_

"Back already, eh?" Shin said quietly. His Sharingan was blazing with rage.

_What's with him? _I thought.

"Yeah... Red took control over me again. I slaughtered the shinobi in a matter of moments," I replied. Shin looked up at me.

"You need to control that _powe_r of yours, Ketsueki. If you face Naruto and that thing gets loose, you won't be able to think straight. You'll be inevitably killed," he said. I frowned at him.

"The amount of power I receive from Red is enormous. I don't wish to waste this power," I replied. Shin sighed.

"Okay, then... let's see you use this power." He looked up. "Word has it that someone somehow is making the moon fall. Konoha is in a panic, as well as the other Great Nations. This is a perfect chance for you to infiltrate Konoha and fight Naruto." I gasped lightly.

_This is it! I'm finally going to avenge my people! Naruto, you'll die today!_

"Unfortunately, Naruto as well as Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuga have already left to fix the moon's falling. Kakashi Hatake has been made temporary Hokage until they return. Do you know what that means?" Shin asked.

_What is he getting at..?_

"Sadly, I don't follow you. If Naruto has left, how will I fight him?" I asked.

"Naruto won't be your opponent... listen. Don't you think it was awfully weird that as soon as Naruto became Hokage seven years ago, your clan was separated from the village? He wasn't in a position to make that decision so suddenly." I nodded slowly, listening to his words closely.

_If that's the case, then that means Kakashi Hatake..._

"Precisely. Kakashi, serving as Naruto's predecessor, planned on separating the Kuraiya from the village a long time ago. But Naruto decided to kill them off instead." I widened my eyes.

_What?!_ I slammed my fist onto the wall beside me. "That means if Kakashi hadn't moved my clan away from Konoha, Naruto wouldn't have had the ANBU kill them!" I looked at Shin angrily.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me this earlier?! For years I've grown hatred to one person, and now I learn that he wasn't the only one involved?!" Shin sighed again.

"I apologize for that. I wanted you to be strong enough. If I told you the day we met, you would've ignored my offer and rush back to Konoha and fight Kakashi Hatake. Naruto would've kept his promise and kill you. But now that you are stronger, if you return to Konoha _no_w you could kill Kakashi without worrying about Naruto's interference. Understand now?" he asked. I smirked widely as a single tear ran down my face.

"I do. First, Kakashi Hatake _must die._ I'll leave Konoha then and continue to train. I'll return to the village when I'm sure I can kill Naruto!" I yelled excitedly. I was one step closer to getting my revenge.

_I can't believe things are going this good for me! Even now, I can feel the almighty name of the Kuraiya clan becoming stronger! I never felt like this before! _

"I see that you're greatly enthusiastic about fighting the previous Hokage... are you sure you have what it takes to defeat him?" Shin asked.

"Yeah. His Mangekyou Sharingan may become a problem due to Kamui, but I'm sure I'll find a way to defeat him." I replied. I clutched the same fist that had my clan's blood in it seven years earlier.

_Naruto can wait_. _Time to get the bastard who started this hell... Kakashi Hatake! _I laughed silently as I tightened my scarred Konoha headband. Revenge is slowly within my grasp. I _felt_ it as I stood over Konoha's Hokage Monument, staring at the face of Kakashi Hatake made out of stone.

_It's time..._


	7. An Unexpected New Opponent

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Ch****apter Two, Part Three - An Unexpected New Opponent.**

_Revenge was certainly on my mind as I looked over the village for the first time in seven years. Kakashi was going to pay._

I jumped down from the Hokage Stone Faces, smirking as I landed on the ground. Immediately after, Konoha Jonin ran at me.

"Intruder! Stay where you are or you will be attacked!" one yelled. I sighed.

_Pesky as usual, Konoha vermin... _I looked at them. They stepped back slightly.

"Where is Kakashi Hatake?" I asked.

"You're after the Hokage... eliminate him!" All of the jonin ran at me. I closed my eyes as I cut myself. A large amount of blood pouring out my wound. The blood quickly surrounding the Jonin and hardening, forming a large dome.

"Die..."

The dome immediately compressed and shortened, easily crushing the men inside.

_I shouldn't waste my time with these ninjas. I have to find Kakashi! _I jumped on a large building and looked around, dashing forward quickly. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck in front of me. I jumped back, activating my lingering Sharingan to see who was behind the smoke. I then smirked.

"So you pinpointed my location already..."

The smoke faded away.

"You picked a wrong time to come here! I'm gonna grind you into _dus_t!" the man yelled as lightning sparked around him.

"I doubt that... Raikage!" I said. The man in front of me frowned and bumped his fists together.

"Who the hell are you anyway?!" Ay demanded. I sighed.

"Me? I'm an old friend of Naruto's... Ketsueki Kuraiya," I replied. Ay frowned at my name.

"Kuraiya? Weren't they all killed a few years ago?" Ay asked.

"Never mention that, you bastard...!" I appeared behind him and shoved my hand at his chest. Quickly, lightning surrounded him and I gasped as I was immediately electrocuted. Ay turned around, lightning chakra covering his arm. He quickly moved forward, clotheslining me with intense speed.

"Lariat!" he yelled as my body flew back. I fell off the roof and crashed into a wall hard, coughing out blood. I looked down, my chest damaged badly. "Heh. Damnit.." I coughed out more blood. Ay appeared in front of me, shoving his knee in my chest. I gasped loudly as his knee destroyed my heart. Marks quickly appeared on my skin, which healed my body in seconds.

_Damnit! Red's power has completely unlocked! _I laughed with insanity as a black aura engulfed me. Burning the Fourth Raikage's skin in the process. My eyes glowed purple as I grabbed his neck, almost breaking it on contact. I slammed my fist in his stomach, sending him flying back at an intense speed. He put his legs behind him, rebounding off a building and dashing back at me. The building behind him collapsed as he shoved his leg on me, damaging my spinal cord. I flew back, crashing onto several buildings. They all collapsed within seconds, the debris falling on top of me.

Ay stood over the debris, thinking I was dead. In mere seconds, I shoved my hand through the debris and grabbed his neck. I quickly got up and kicked him in the forehead. He blocked my kick and grabbed my leg.

"No you don't!" he yelled as he threw me back. I crashed onto more buildings.

"ENOUGH!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. The buildings behind me collapsing due to the force of my voice. I ran at him, throwing punches and kicks at almost lightning speed. He growled and blocked each one of my attacks at the same speed. I threw one more punch. He grabbed my hand and we start struggling to overpower each other.

"You're not bad, kid!" Ay said loudly. I smirked more, wincing with pain.

"All those years still haven't phased you, old man!" I shot back. Both of us emitted powerful chakra from our bodies as we still struggled to overpower each other. The ground beneath us shook immensely. I jumped back, the ground cracking upon my landing. I wiped a line of blood from my mouth.

_I need to hurry up! Kakashi must pay!_

I ran at Ay quickly as blood hardened around my fist.

"GET OUT OF THE FUCKING WAAAAY!" I yelled.


	8. More Power is Needed

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Chapter Two, Part Four - More Power Is Needed,**

_I knew I had to defeat the 4th Raikage soon. I'm sure someone has already notified Kakashi of my presence. It was now or never._

I threw a massive punch at Ay. The chakra emitting from his body intensified as he rose a hand, grabbing my fist. He cringed as my fist severed his hand. I smirked as my fist crashed onto his face. He flew back at a great speed, crashing through buildings in the process. I breathed heavily and fell down to one knee, gasping for breath. The marks on my body disappeared and my aura faded.

_Is... It over?_ I looked ahead of me. Nothing happened. I slightly smiled and slowly got back up. Suddenly, I felt a jabbing sensation in my chest. I blinked. Right after, I was looking in the angry eyes of Ay.

_W-what...?_

I looked at my chest, completely severed as lighting shocked me. Before I knew it, I was heavily coughing blood and I fell down. The Raikage stood over my motionless and battered body. "

You lose, boy," he said. I felt my own consciousness slipping away slowly. I then heard movements all around me and Ay. Konoha Jonin and ANBU surrounded us. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

"Hmph," a man sighed as he appeared in front of the Raikage. Ay gasped as the man kicked him back. The man sighed as I felt a force engulf me. Before I knew it, I was on a large rock in our hideout. I gasped as I coughed more blood. The man above me turned my body over. My vision restabilised as I looked at the man.

"Lord Shin...?" I said quietly. Shin shook his head slowly, as if with pity.

"You're a fool. What made you think you could take on the Raikage all by yourself? You're lucky to still be alive," he sid. I smiled weakly before slipping into unconsciousness...

I opened my eyes quickly. I was laying on the floor with a cool towel over my head. I slowly stood up, looking at my chest.

_How did...?_

My chest was completely healed. I didn't even feel any pain! I shook my head and looked around. Vials and potions and beds were all over the place. This looks like some sort of medical facility...

"You're finally awake," said one of Shin's sons as he walked towards me.

"Did you heal me?" I asked. "No. Father implanted some of Hashirama Senji's cells in your body. After you passed out, word had it that the Hokage and his team saved the moon from crashing. It's likely Naruto's back in the village now," he replied. I widened my eyes.

"Then that means I have another chance to kill Na-"

"Father also said for you to not return to Konoha at all."

_What?! _

"That's outrageous! I can kill Naruto now!" I yelled.

"Mr. Ketsueki, you couldn't even beat the Fourth Raikage. Surely you can't beat the Jinchuriki of Kuruma in the slightest." I grabbed his shirt and hissed.

"You little bastard! I know what I'm capable of!" I shot back. The boy sighed.

"You can't leave anyway. Father has put a seal on all exits. You'll have to wait this one out..."

I let go of his shirt slowly.

_Damnit... I was so close to avenging my people!_

Tears started to stream down my eyes, burning them with rage. I sliced a wall with blood, cutting it in half with ease. I then stormed off to Shin's room. I raised a fist, ready to slam the door open.

_I can't even..._

I slowly lowered my fist. More tears ran down my face as I fell back, head down. I clutched my head angrily and started to pull at my hair. as hard as I could.

"Why am I so weak..."


	9. The Junkyosha Clan

**Ketsueki Kuraiya the Red Deity: The Past of Extinction.**

**Chapter Three, Part One - The Junkyosha Clan.**

_A few months have passed since my battle against the Fourth Raikage. I bitterly decided to abide by Lord Shin's orders and ignored my strong desires to return to the Leaf and face Naruto. I passed time by killing for the leader of the New Akatsuki. I was undoubtedly stronger than him by now, so I challenged why I was still mindlessly acting as his lackey..._

"What's troubling you, boy?" the man in question asked me. When I looked into his eyes, I could tell he already knew of my slowly dying loyalty towards him and the New Akatsuki. Despite our many different personalities and ideals, we both shared one common question right now: what kind of opportunity would allow me to turn against him?

"Nothing's troubling me," I lied. Shin crossed his arms and stared at me harder. Those damn Sharingan eyes Orochimaru implanted in his head focused on me too, trying to spot an error in my words that he needed to challenge my lip service. But I was arguably smarter than him, so _that _wasn't worth worrying over too much. I focused my breathing and even gave a little smile at my mentor. Oh, how I wanted to just get rid of him! Sure, he helped me when nobody else would. But now, I could never elevate myself further because of him. He was holding me back.

"I was just letting out some loose steam in a training session," I told him calmly. Shin pointed to his terribly injured, bloodied son that laid in a small pool of the crimson liquid by the large green trees. With my heightened ears, I could hear the increasing stifling in the boy's breathing. Looks like I did... a little bit of damage to his lungs.

"_That's_ how you let out some loose stream? By nearly beating my son to death?" Shin said. I looked over to the almost unconscious kid and shrugged my shoulders without care. When I was beating the ever-living shit out of him ten minutes ago, I wasn't really doing so out of spite. But the longer I looked at the boy's pale face, the more he resembled Shin Uchiha. Well, the _father _Shin Uchiha, since he named all of his clones-for-sons after him like a complete idiot. So yeah, I guess the resemblance was why I went ballistic on the brat. I crossed my arms and scoffed at the man ostracising me.

"Don't you have hundreds of those things, anyway? What difference does it really make? If anything, your little urchins unquestionably helped me more than you have in years!" I yelled, my anger starting to get a hold of me. Uh oh. There's that little crack my mentor was trying so hard to find in me. Shin snapped his head back at me angrily and grabbed me by the top of my New Akatsuki cloak.

"You're treading on very thin ice, boy. _I'm_ the reason why you're still here in one piece. If I knew the broken Ketsueki Kuriaya from seven years ago would grow into an arrogant dolt, I would've let the Raikage slaughter you without hesitance!" he spat out. I gritted my teeth and grabbed his wrist tightly with my free hand. He must've concluded that I was too weak-willed to actually attack him since he was saying all of these hurtful things right at my face. It seems like he forgot I dedicated my life to killing one of the most powerful shinobi on the planet, if not _the _strongest.

"I'm not arrogant, I'm just tired of this. You once told me that you'd hate wasting the talent of the Kuraiya. So tell me why the hell I'm just lazing around here training with your cannon fodder brats!" I said back. Even he must've seen the truth in my words since he didn't answer right away. I saw that tinge of guilt in his otherwise threatening red eyes.

"...It's just best for you to be safe here. I know it seems tedious now, but you'll steadily grow stronger until you can battle the Hokage," he said. I didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth. It's absolutely ludicrous that a Kuraiya who served the ANBU at age eleven - then trained with an Uchiha for seven years - still wouldn't be strong enough to take Naruto Uzumaki down! My entire teenage life was lost to just training and missions! What on earth did I have to give up to be rid of my weaknesses?

"Steadily?!" I yelled at him. "You mean slowly_, _painfully slowly!" Shin sighed loudly and turned his back to me. There really was no point in continuing the argument. He knew I'd never bail anyway. I'd just go back to the Leaf and have all those years wasted by getting myself killed. I need a new mentor, a new person to guide me on my path to strength... the question is, who?

Another one of Shin's sons appeared out of nowhere and ran at us. I looked at the boy pugnaciously. I just really hated these things popping up all day long. He bowed at Shin respectively.

"Father, an intruder has been spotted in the hideout. When I had the chance, I surveyed his chakra. It looks very weak," he said softly. Shin turned and looked me in the eyes. I swear the bastard was debating if having me fight a little thief or burglar was a worthy punishment for challenging him. Once again demonstrating how pointless it was for me to stay here. He chuckled then turned away and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I'll handle him, son. Take me to him," he said. The boy activated his Sharingan to create a spiralling void centred on his eye, drawing himself and Shin inwards, then quickly vanished. Now that they were gone, I admitted to myself that I probably would have wanted to dispose of the intruder. At least it'd be _something_ to do, lounging around just isn't my style. But with very few alternatives, I decided to skip training for the rest of the day and passed time by sharpening my kunai set. I eventually lost track of time.

It took about an hour and a half or so for me to pull myself out of my bored stupor and realise that Shin hasn't returned yet. Getting rid of an intruder with supposedly weak chakra wouldn't have even taken him ten minutes. And over the years, I learned that Shin Uchiha was never one to play with his food. He would've activated that Mangekyou Sharingan of his and wiped the floor with that poor bastard. So what's taking him so very, very long?

"I do believe you're a Kuraiya," a deep, unfamiliar voice said by my door. I jerked up and grabbed one of the sharp kunais, now peering into the dark eyes of a man with fair skin and spiky, black hair with a slight blue tint to it. It grew to his waist, along with shoulder-length bangs that framed the sides of his face, covering most of his right eye. I couldn't believe I allowed another intruder to slip by my keen eyes.

"You must be his partner," I said as I watched him closely. If he made any sudden moves, I'd attack. The man slowly crossed his arms and shook his head. I wanted to deny that he immediately read my intentions, but...

"Oh, no. I'm all alone. I came here to assassinate Shin Uchiha for meddling in Junkyosha affairs, but it seems that I've found quite the jewel here... a survivor of the Kuraiya clan massacre," the man said. First of all, how does he know I'm a Kuraiya? And why is he telling me _his _intentions? Now that I know he's going to try and kill Shin, I was definitely going to attack him. I rose my kunai and charged at him as fast as I could. The intruder let his arms down to the side and stared me down hard.

_Why is he just standing there?_ I thought. When I got close enough to slash the man in his throat, he took a single step back and slammed his knee against my stomach. Some air was forced out of me, but I still managed to quickly direct the blade into his chest. As if he wasn't phased at all, he moved his arm to clutch my wrist tightly, forcing me to let go of the knife. Then he turned around and brought a heavy leg to my side, sending me sprawling back. I was just getting up to attack again when he pointed my kunai in his face.

"If I cut you, would you use your mysterious blood jutsu to turn this fight around?" he asked with an interested tone. I gritted my teeth hard and jumped back to my feet. Who was this guy?

"As if I'd ever let you get the chance to," I said back.

"I don't think it'd be too difficult. I want to see your kekkei genkai in action, and I rarely don't get what I want."

With that, he dashed forward and swung the blade towards my cheek. It was pretty easy to dodge the little knife, but it wasn't so easy to evade the lightning-fast punch that pushed me back to the ground. Okay, maybe this guy wasn't a mere burglar. Before I could even react to the pain in my face, he swiped the blade across my cheek and observed closely. I couldn't help but feel degraded.

"You wanna see, huh?!" I growled. The slow trickle of blood that dripped out of the cut turned into a rapid spout of the red stuff, hardening as fast as it was coming out. In no time at all, the intruder's body was engulfed in my hardened blood, thus significantly restrained.

"Before I kill you, I have a few questions to ask," I said as I gently rubbed my cheek. The man looked at the blood around him and laughed at his current situation. Then he looked at me, barely able to halt his laughing.

"Your jutsu really is remarkable. Since your humoured me, I'll tell you whatever you need to know," he said. I scoffed as I got closer to him, grabbing him by his long black locks, angrily tugging as hard as I could.

"How do you know about the Kuraiya massacre?! Where's my master?! And who the hell are you?!" I demanded.

"I heard rumours that a boy of the Kuraiya survived, but I dismissed them as just that. Rumours. Luckily, I was told he was residing with Shin Uchiha, who's now dead," he replied. I widened my eyes and pulled on his head more, veins starting to show up in my neck.

"_You _killed him?" I asked quietly. I didn't even know what to say after that. If Shin really is dead now, then I'm finally free! This mysterious shinobi has torn away my shackles - no, he ripped them off and burned them for good measure - and now I could do whatever I want. I was full of so many conflicting emotions, anger and happiness, bitter and thankful. I swear I almost broke out in song.

"Yes. Now release me already, I have an offer for you," the man said, I was so caught up at this revelation that I didn't hear him at first. Since he killed Shin, I had to owe him something. The blood around him quickly liquified and sploshed against the wooden floor.

"Thank you. Now then, Kuraiya. I am the Hidden Leaf's Mizuto Shi Junkyosha," he said. I quickly looked into his eyes with warning. Anyone of the Leaf to me was a target.

"Relax. The Junkyosha clan resides in Hiroshima for now. We don't care about our weak alliance with the Leaf," he explained.

"Mizuto Shi Junkyosha, why are you interested in me?" I asked. To tell you the truth, I didn't see myself as a driving force for anyone's goals. I was just a very lucky young man. I'd be dead if my parents hadn't given me the power of Red. So what was I, really?

"I'm inviting you to my own version of Akatsuki," he said. "I will hone your strength so that you can accomplish _anything _you want." This is exactly what I was thinking about earlier. How Shin needed to be gotten rid of so that I could instead have a more suitable mentor. This Mizuto Junkyosha has given me both, so there was one validated reply I could give him...

"I accept."


End file.
